Kyshawn George (left) and Alex Sarr are 2 of 3 impressive rookies Washington boasts this season.
The Washington Wizards have almost as many compelling rookies as they have victories so far this season.
Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George give hope for the future in a present that, at 6-36, hasn’t been much fun. With second-year guard Bilal Coulibaly, the Wizards have a young core to nurture and several veteran players available as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches.
Meanwhile, no member of the Class of 2024 generated more buzz this week than the Miami Heat’s Kel’el Ware. Here are updates on him and the other top rookies so far in 2024-25 …
• One weakness of the Ladder in tracking rookies from start to finish each season is capturing the late-bloomers in a timely fashion. That’s why Ware is making his debut here, after a dazzling stretch over the past 10 days. The 7-footer from North Little Rock, Ark., played little or not at all in Miami’s first 25 games. But his minutes have climbed from 6.9 before December to 22.1 this month, and his production has followed: 12.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in January.
Ware scored 25 in a matchup with Victor Wembanyama on Sunday, then had 20 against Portland in his first start Tuesday. The Heat were +8 in his 39 minutes against the Blazers, -17 in the nine minutes he sat, and using him alongside Bam Adebayo gives Miami a formidable double-big look. Ware’s work ethic and progress now have Heat coach Erik Spoelstra cautioning against over-exuberance from fans and media.
“I know that Kel’el generates a lot of opinions out there,” Spoelstra said. “Let us do our job. Let him do what he has been doing.”
• Utah has a pair of rookies getting more traction lately, too. Guard Isaiah Collier averaged 10.7 assists across three games this week and now leads all rookies in that category (4.8 per game). Center Kyle Filipowski is fifth in rebounds (4.9) and has averaged 6.3 points and 6.3 boards in January.
• No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher drops off the Ladder for the first time this season. He has been sidelined lately with a left adductor strain.
• Folks in Chicago have been clamoring for more court time for forward Matas Buzelis. But at least fans may get to see him at All-Star Weekend.
Getting a Rise out of the rookies. Selections will be announced soon for the Castrol Rising Stars at NBA All-Star 2025. The mini-tournament pitting first- and second-year NBA players, as well as NBA G League standouts, gets a higher profile this year because the winning group will also compete against NBA All-Stars in the new format on Sunday. That might be one way to motivate the game’s biggest names: throw them into battle against the youngest, hungriest and least-jaded competitors in the league.
(All stats through Tuesday, Jan. 21)
1. Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 11.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 2
His shooting has turned rocky again — 34.7% and 22.7% in the weekly sample — but Sarr made sure opponents’ accuracy suffered too with five blocks against the Lakers on Tuesday. He leads the rookies in that stat (1.6) while ranking third in rebounds and fifth in scoring.
2. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 11.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 4
We’ll see how his game translates in this reverse Wemby trip (from U.S. to France) trip for the Spurs. But he was spectacular last week, with games of 23, 26 and 20 points before scoring 11 at Miami on Sunday.
3. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 11.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 39
You can figure out the chicken-or-egg order of this, but in Memphis’ victories, Wells has shot 46.9% overall and 43% from the arc. In its losses, his accuracy droops to 39.2% and 29.6%.
4. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 9.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 21
He hasn’t played since Jan. 15 (12 points, six boards, two blocks against Dallas), and was listed as questionable (illness) heading into the Pelicans’ game on Wednesday vs. the Bucks.
5. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 9.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 9
Doing more with less: Big fella’s minutes are down (17.7 per game in January vs. 26 mpg last month), but he’s still starting for the Grizz. His per-36-minute numbers are 16.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks for the season.
6. Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 8.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 14
Still seeking his first 15/5/5 game of 2025. No rookie has more than his three.
7. Tristan da Silva, Orlando Magic
Season stats: 8.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.8 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 18
The 23-year-old’s second visit to Toronto Tuesday (9 points, 3-of-10, L) didn’t go as well as the first (25 points, W) on Jan. 3.
8. Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat
Season stats: 7.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 44
Makes Ladder debut “with a bullet” after averaging 15.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks this week.
9. Ryan Dunn, Phoenix Suns
Season stats: 7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: No. 28
Challenge as a starter? Defending without fouling. He’s averaging 4.4 fouls per 36 minutes, second only to Portland’s Donovan Clingan (5.5) among rookies who have played 30-plus games.
10. Kyshawn George, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 7.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 24
Had been lurking on the mythical 11th or 12th rung most of the season until scoring 24 off the bench (with six 3-pointers) vs. the Suns.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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